Hockey central is back. I'd say it was after a much-needed vacation but the boss might question that with all that was going on over the Thanksgiving weekend. Still, it had to be done for peace at home (not to be confused with peace on earth, though it's close in at least one household). Also, the time in Montana allowed for the opportunity to watch Montana's amazing comeback in the FCS playoffs while listening to the disappointing Eastern loss.

As for the hockey, well, the Chiefs had a great November. With a 3-1-1 road trip (which means 3-2) followed by a 4-0 win at home, Spokane went 10-2-1. That means 21 out of a possible 26 points, which propels them back into the discussions with the league leaders. The offense is picking up, the defense is tightening down and James Reid has been the best goalie in the league. Reid won 11 of 12 starts (the loss was in OT) with three shutouts and gave up just 11 goals. He now leads the league with a 2.03 goals against average, 14 wins and .929 saves percentage.

Time to play catchup, keep reading.

While away we ran a feature on import defenseman Stefan Ulmer, pictured above left with Cory Baldwin.

The three games I missed, the overtime loss at Everett; the big win at Tri-City; and the home win over Regina. The Everett Herald also had an advance story on the return of Kyle Beach.

While surfing, I found a story through WHL guru Gregg Drinnan about the Grey Cup, Canada's Super Bowl, about Saskatchewan fans having this thing for watermelons. I never knew this - it's the kind of useless sports information that sticks in a sports fan's head and never ceases to amaze my wife when it bubbles to the surface sometime down the road.

---

---